Transmorphers
Encyclopedia
Transmorphers is a science fiction
alien invasion
film released direct-to-DVD on June 26, 2007. It was written and directed by Leigh Scott
and produced by David Michael Latt and The Asylum
. Transmorphers was developed as a mockbuster
, intending to capitalize on Michael Bay
's Transformers
. The film, including the plot, borrows from The Terminator
, Aliens
, The Matrix, Starship Troopers
and the Japanese Anime Mospeada.
The film was followed by a 2009 prequel titled Transmorphers: Fall of Man
.
A patrol, led by Blackthorn (Thomas Downey), is sent out to capture a Z-bot so its operating ability can be studied. The patrol is suddenly ambushed by several robots, with some being able to reconfigure themselves, revealing different weapon systems. These 'transmorphers' ambush humans by appearing as mundane features of the terrain, even fooling detection systems.
After Blackthorn's patrol is destroyed by the machines the leader of the human resistance group, General Van Ryberg (Eliza Swenson
), argues with fellow officers about how to fight the war. Van Ryberg decides to reinstate a disgraced soldier named Warren Mitchell (Matthew Wolf), who was court-martialed along with his right-hand man, Itchy (Griff Furst
), and cryogenically frozen for insubordination. They had killed their unit officer five years earlier. Mitchell is glad to be reinstated, but learns that his former love interest, Karina Nadir (Amy Weber
), a fighter pilot, is now married to General Van Ryberg.
Mitchell assembles a small military patrol, Xandria Lux (Shaley Scott
) is sent out to capture a Z-bot, intact, so its fuel cells can be studied. They hope to shut the machines down by contaminating the fuel cell and place it in a large radio tower which supposedly controls the machines.
Mitchell and his group ambush and destroy a group of patrol machines, and succeed in capturing one. During the battle, Karina and another female soldier named Blair (Sarah Hall
) are stuck behind enemy lines right near the radio tower.
Bringing the Z-bot back to their underground city, Mitchell realizes that the fuel cell has an implanted tracking device that leads the machines to the humans underground city. Van Ryberg takes over as the field commander in a last ditch effort to defeat the robots, and to rescue his wife.
Mitchell then surprisingly learns from resident scientist Dr. Voloslov Alextzavich (Michael Tower), that he himself is an android constructed by Dr. Alextzavich, including the human feelings and understandings. Mitchell realizes that he must get the Z-bot's fuel cell to the radio tower to implant it in the control computer to try to shut the robots down.
Supported by an aerial strike force, led by Lux, Mitchell's team make it to the radio tower where they are able to rescue Karina and Blair. The group breaks into the building, but the anti-human counter-measures make all of them sick and they cannot make it to the main control room. It becomes even more complicated when the tower reveals itself to be a giant robot.
Meanwhile, General Van Ryberg and her own soldiers get to one of the terra-forming stations to take it offline and hold off a massive army of robots attacking the underground city. Lux then arrives with her fighter squadron to bomb the attacking robots.
Back at the radio station, Mitchell, using his android abilities, sacrifices himself and takes the tower out, buying enough time for the rest of his team to escape. Once the tower is destroyed the robots all over the world shut down. With the battle won, Karina and Van Ryberg are reunited and the surviving humans see the sun shine through the clouds for the first time in centuries.
Mike Hermann of the Houston Chronicle
called this "the most elaborate and bodacious straight to DVD movie of the year" and goes on to say "[I] can't remember another director and set of actors doing such an awful film."
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
alien invasion
Alien invasion
The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which extraterrestrial life invades Earth either to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it under a colonial system, harvest humans for food, steal the planet's resources, or destroy the planet altogether.The...
film released direct-to-DVD on June 26, 2007. It was written and directed by Leigh Scott
Leigh Scott
Leigh Scott is an American film director, writer, producer, actor and cinematographer.- Early life and career :...
and produced by David Michael Latt and The Asylum
The Asylum
The Asylum is an American film studio and distributor which focuses on producing low-budget, usually direct-to-video productions. The studio has produced titles that capitalize on productions by major studios; these titles have been dubbed "mockbusters" by the press.-History:The Asylum was founded...
. Transmorphers was developed as a mockbuster
Mockbuster
A mockbuster is a film created with the apparent intention of piggy-backing on the publicity of a major film with a similar title or theme and are often made with a low budget. Often these films are created to be released direct-to-video at the same time as the mainstream film reaches theaters or...
, intending to capitalize on Michael Bay
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects...
's Transformers
Transformers (2007 film)
Transformers is a 2007 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. The film, which combines computer animation with live-action, is directed by Michael Bay, with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer...
. The film, including the plot, borrows from The Terminator
The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
, Aliens
Aliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
, The Matrix, Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers (film)
Starship Troopers is a 1997 American military science fiction film, written by Edward Neumeier , directed by Paul Verhoeven, loosely adapted from Starship Troopers, a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It is the only theatrically released film in the Starship Troopers franchise...
and the Japanese Anime Mospeada.
The film was followed by a 2009 prequel titled Transmorphers: Fall of Man
Transmorphers: Fall of Man
Transmorphers: Fall of Man is a 2009 direct-to-DVD science fiction film produced by the American film studio The Asylum. It is a prequel to the 2007 film Transmorphers....
.
Plot
In 2009 a race of aliens piloting giant robots have conquered Earth and forced humanity to live underground. They did this by altering the environment, causing constant rainfall and darkness. 300 years later, after many generations of living underground, a small group of human rebels plan to finally take back their world from the mechanical invaders. They soon learn however that the aliens do not pilot the robots, but are the robots.A patrol, led by Blackthorn (Thomas Downey), is sent out to capture a Z-bot so its operating ability can be studied. The patrol is suddenly ambushed by several robots, with some being able to reconfigure themselves, revealing different weapon systems. These 'transmorphers' ambush humans by appearing as mundane features of the terrain, even fooling detection systems.
After Blackthorn's patrol is destroyed by the machines the leader of the human resistance group, General Van Ryberg (Eliza Swenson
Eliza Swenson
Eliza Swenson is an American actress, film producer, musician, singer, and composer. She was born on July 28, 1983 in Quincy, California, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Media and Sound Engineering from Brigham Young University in 2003...
), argues with fellow officers about how to fight the war. Van Ryberg decides to reinstate a disgraced soldier named Warren Mitchell (Matthew Wolf), who was court-martialed along with his right-hand man, Itchy (Griff Furst
Griff Furst
Griff Furst is an American actor and film director. Furst has appeared in 36 television and film productions. He also directed seven films, including Movin' In and Wolvesbayne...
), and cryogenically frozen for insubordination. They had killed their unit officer five years earlier. Mitchell is glad to be reinstated, but learns that his former love interest, Karina Nadir (Amy Weber
Amy Weber
Amy Marie Weber is an American actress, model, film producer, former professional wrestling valet, and singer who is best known for her time as a WWE Diva for World Wrestling Entertainment under the SmackDown! brand...
), a fighter pilot, is now married to General Van Ryberg.
Mitchell assembles a small military patrol, Xandria Lux (Shaley Scott
Shaley Scott
Shaley Scott is an upcoming singer/songwriter/actress who has recently landed roles in 5 movies. A self-taught musician and trained dancer, Shaley grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, graduating from Rocky Mountain High School. She attended both the Colorado Academy of Arts and Colorado State...
) is sent out to capture a Z-bot, intact, so its fuel cells can be studied. They hope to shut the machines down by contaminating the fuel cell and place it in a large radio tower which supposedly controls the machines.
Mitchell and his group ambush and destroy a group of patrol machines, and succeed in capturing one. During the battle, Karina and another female soldier named Blair (Sarah Hall
Sarah Hall
Sarah Hall is a Canadian stained glass artist, notable for her extensive career, and current experimentation in the integration of photovoltaic technology into art glass...
) are stuck behind enemy lines right near the radio tower.
Bringing the Z-bot back to their underground city, Mitchell realizes that the fuel cell has an implanted tracking device that leads the machines to the humans underground city. Van Ryberg takes over as the field commander in a last ditch effort to defeat the robots, and to rescue his wife.
Mitchell then surprisingly learns from resident scientist Dr. Voloslov Alextzavich (Michael Tower), that he himself is an android constructed by Dr. Alextzavich, including the human feelings and understandings. Mitchell realizes that he must get the Z-bot's fuel cell to the radio tower to implant it in the control computer to try to shut the robots down.
Supported by an aerial strike force, led by Lux, Mitchell's team make it to the radio tower where they are able to rescue Karina and Blair. The group breaks into the building, but the anti-human counter-measures make all of them sick and they cannot make it to the main control room. It becomes even more complicated when the tower reveals itself to be a giant robot.
Meanwhile, General Van Ryberg and her own soldiers get to one of the terra-forming stations to take it offline and hold off a massive army of robots attacking the underground city. Lux then arrives with her fighter squadron to bomb the attacking robots.
Back at the radio station, Mitchell, using his android abilities, sacrifices himself and takes the tower out, buying enough time for the rest of his team to escape. Once the tower is destroyed the robots all over the world shut down. With the battle won, Karina and Van Ryberg are reunited and the surviving humans see the sun shine through the clouds for the first time in centuries.
Cast
- Matthew Wolf as Mitchell
- Griff FurstGriff FurstGriff Furst is an American actor and film director. Furst has appeared in 36 television and film productions. He also directed seven films, including Movin' In and Wolvesbayne...
as Itchy - Eliza SwensonEliza SwensonEliza Swenson is an American actress, film producer, musician, singer, and composer. She was born on July 28, 1983 in Quincy, California, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Media and Sound Engineering from Brigham Young University in 2003...
as General Van Ryberg - Amy WeberAmy WeberAmy Marie Weber is an American actress, model, film producer, former professional wrestling valet, and singer who is best known for her time as a WWE Diva for World Wrestling Entertainment under the SmackDown! brand...
as Nadir - Monique La Barr as Reitcha
- Shaley ScottShaley ScottShaley Scott is an upcoming singer/songwriter/actress who has recently landed roles in 5 movies. A self-taught musician and trained dancer, Shaley grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, graduating from Rocky Mountain High School. She attended both the Colorado Academy of Arts and Colorado State...
as Lux - Jeff Denton as McGuire
- Thomas Downey as Blackthorn
- Leigh ScottLeigh ScottLeigh Scott is an American film director, writer, producer, actor and cinematographer.- Early life and career :...
as General Sabir
Release
Initial copies of the DVD released in the United States contained out of sync audio in the 5.1 surround track and missing special effects and sound effects. Subsequent reissues of the North American and British DVD were corrected.Reception
David Cornelius of Efilmcritic.com stated that "even the most dedicated Bad Movie fans will have difficulty slogging through this one". However, there was one positive review: Felix Vasquez Jr. from Cinema Crazed said, "Transmorphers is worth your time. And no, Asylum didn't pay me to say that."Mike Hermann of the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
called this "the most elaborate and bodacious straight to DVD movie of the year" and goes on to say "[I] can't remember another director and set of actors doing such an awful film."
See also
- Transmorphers: Fall of ManTransmorphers: Fall of ManTransmorphers: Fall of Man is a 2009 direct-to-DVD science fiction film produced by the American film studio The Asylum. It is a prequel to the 2007 film Transmorphers....
, the 2009 prequel starring Shane Van Dyke - Transformers, the 2007 blockbuster of which Transmorphers is a mockbusterMockbusterA mockbuster is a film created with the apparent intention of piggy-backing on the publicity of a major film with a similar title or theme and are often made with a low budget. Often these films are created to be released direct-to-video at the same time as the mainstream film reaches theaters or...